[gtdoll]

Here is the original letter I had sent out to Customer Relations that explains my situation.

'I have sent this letter numerous times to the Customer Relations team since June, and I am still yet to receive a reply. This service is completely unacceptable and would like to receive acknowledgement that my letter has been read and that my issue is taken in to consideration to be resolved.

I was due to travel to Qatar for four months to visit my family. I had already checked with Qatari immigration about details of my stay and was told that a visitor's visa would be given at arrival and that it could be renewed monthly up until 6 months. However, at the check-in desk before my flight to Doha, Qatar (via Bahrain), I was wrongly informed that I would not be permitted to enter Qatar by the lady at the desk due to the length of my visit. I was told that it was likely that Qatari officials would not permit me to stay for any longer than a month. This prompted her to call immigration at Heathrow who had no obvious experience with Qatari legislation. Because of this, I was told I could not travel unless I replace my return ticket set for 9th September to a date that was in the 30-day bracket. She tried to mask her rude nature by using transparent phrases such as 'with all due respect', although she did not show it. I was then brought to another desk and told to wait at the sideline until a lady, who I assumed to be the manager, called for me. However, after having waited for approximately 15 minutes and telling the manager that my family and I were specifically directed to wait by the sideline, the manager rudely told us that we were not supposed to stand there and that we had to wait at the back of the line for a further period of time. She told us that she 'refused' to help us. Once I finally had the opportunity to speak with a nice gentleman at the desk, I was told that a replacement ticket was available for 24th June. As a university student, money is tight and I had saved up a lot for this trip, however because of this problem, I had to pay a replacement fee as well as the remaining price of the ticket, which totalled to £144. I then had to move my ticket back again to my original return date, which further cost me another £100. Recently, I visited Qatari Immigration to make an enquiry regarding the nature of my previous travelling arrangements and was told that it was not at all necessary to have bought another ticket or to have shortened my stay, as Qatar grants visas on-arrival for 30 days and renewals for stays up to six months. The money spent on replacement and date-changing was a total waste. This information is also available online - which would have saved us a lot of time if the lady had checked online in the first place. As I still would still have liked to remain in Qatar for the four months, as was originally planned, I had contacted British Airways, making a formal complaint on the 15th of June regarding the service their BA staff had at Terminal 5 and asking for reimbursement for the wasted money and whether it was possible for me to replace my ticket without spending more on replacement fees. Since then, I have not received a reply. I recently replaced my ticket for one set closer to the original, again spending £100 on replacement fees and a new ticket for 1st September. Currently, I have now spent £244 due to the incompetence of the incapable and pedestrian services of BA at Terminal 5, as well as their Immigration Office. I will not be toy of BA and Terminal 5 staff and demand I still be reimbursed the £244 and compensation for the humiliating experience I have had.'

Surprise, surprise, 2 months later they have still not replied.